


The Voice of the Shaman

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 13:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17809010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Three brothers brought up in a regime of 'no punishment' think they can do anything they want -until they meet Blair.





	The Voice of the Shaman

The Voice of the Shaman

Bluewolf

The phone call from the security department at Wilkinson Towers went in the first instance to Patrol; when the Patrol car arrived, the two officers in it took one look at the three barely teen-age boys being held in Tom Watson's outer office, and Bruce Hayward, the senior of the two, turned to Watson.

"Have they given you their names?"

Watson shook his head. "The only thing any of them has said is, 'You'll be sorry!' - but they were stealing from one of the storekeepers, and  threatened him when he challenged them. We couldn't let that pass."

Hayward nodded to his partner, and Andy Griffiths walked over to join the two men of Watson's team who were watching the boys... and he kept his hand on his gun in what was clearly an unspoken "Behave!", young though all three were. Then Hayward turned back to Watson. "I need to phone the station," he said.

"You can use my private office," Watson said, and led the way to a small and neatly furnished room.

Once inside, Hayward said quietly, "You don't know who they are."

"No - but I'd guess you do," Watson said.

"Yes. Their father is Harold Spring."

"Spring... as in Councilman Spring?"

"Yes."

"The guy who approached the Senate trying to introduce a law to forbid parents smacking their kids?"

"Yeah. His move failed, though what he set in motion did get teachers banned from using corporal punishment in school. Apparently Spring's father worked in Sweden for a while back in the sixties and seventies; he took his family with him, and Harold worked there as well once he was old enough. Then in the late seventies, Sweden passed a law forbidding parents from smacking their kids.

"Seems he was strongly influenced by that. Could be his own father was a strong believer in 'spare the rod and spoil the child' and beat 'good behavior' into him... Anyway, he married not long after the family came back to the States and when his first son was born he announced publicly that he would be following the Swedish code and would never, ever, 'assault' his children.

"Then he went into politics, and as soon as he had enough clout - well.

"Anyway, the police know them - the father of one of our detectives lives near them, and says the neighbors all know them as brats. So far nobody has complained to their parents, partly because of who their father is. But if they've been harassing one of your shopkeepers here..."

"They stole some candy. It's not the first time Jack Darren's suspected them of it, but it's the first time he's actually caught them doing it."

Hayward nodded. "I think we need to give them a fright - their father seems to have taken 'no spanking' to mean 'no punishment'."

Watson nodded, and handed Hayward his phone.

***

They went back to the outer office, where Hayward tried to question the boys again. When they realized that he did know who they were, one of them - Hayward was pretty sure it was the oldest - said, "You'll be sorry!"

About ten minutes later there was a brisk knock on the door, it opened and two men entered - one tall, with a brisk, no-nonsense look on his face, the other a little smaller, with hair surprisingly long - and Hayward greeted them cheerfully. "Hello, detectives. Mr Watson - "

Watson grinned. "Detectives Ellison and Sandburg. Yes, I know them. How are you, gentlemen?"

Blair grinned. "We're fine - and you?" as Jim crossed to glare forbiddingly at the three Spring boys.

The oldest of the three tried to glare back. "You'll be sorry if you hassle us!"

Jim smiled. "I don't think so. Don't you know the name 'Ellison'?"

"W-William Ellison?"

"My father. Unlike you, I don't depend on him to cover up all the mistakes I make - unlike your father, he disciplined me when I was young - and no, he never laid a finger on me. But he taught me right from wrong, which it seems your father hasn't."

"Dad doesn't believe in punishment - "

"If that's the case, he badly misunderstood the Swedish law regarding parents smacking their children.

"Tell me, Olaf - how would you react to anyone who stole something from you?"

"Nobody has the right to steal from me!"

Blair said quietly, "But you were stealing from one of the storekeepers here. If nobody has the right to steal from you, doesn't that also mean that you don't have the right to steal from someone else?"

From the stunned expression on the three faces in front of him, it was clear that that was something they had never considered. "How do you plan to make us 'sorry' for stopping you from stealing?" Jim went on.

"Our father - " Olaf began.

Blair shook his head. "All it needs is a newspaper to report that Harold Spring condones his sons' dishonesty. How soon then before some of his neighbors decide to take him to court seeking compensation for the damage you caused to their property? I know they're not happy about it, but until now they've said nothing out of respect for your father, who has certainly done some good in the community. But how long do you think he'd remain in his present position if he got some really bad publicity? And if enough of your neighbors sued him over the damage you've done to their property, how soon before he's bankrupt, has to sell everything and live on the streets - and you three with him? Would you really like to lose everything and live on the streets?"

There was a note in Blair's voice that Jim recognized. Individual Chopek rarely wronged anyone else in the tribe, but he remembered Incacha passing judgement on one young Chopek male who had stolen a knife from one of his fellows. There was no doubting who the knife belonged to; because all the artifacts they used were very similar, each member of the tribe put his own mark on everything he made. Huanaca had tried to say he had just picked it up shortly before and hadn't had a chance to return it to Mako, but one glare from Incacha had crumbled his 'defense'. The note in Blair's voice had been exactly the same as the one in Incacha's voice when he banished Huanaca.

It was the voice of the shaman. And its affect on the three Spring boys was much the same as its affect on him when Blair was guiding him... or when Incacha was. There was no way anyone could resist doing what that voice told them to do, no way anyone could - well, fight what that voice said could, probably would happen. And Jim could see how terrified the three boys now were.

Yet not even the boys could claim that Blair had made any threats or suggested that the three of them might benefit from a short, sharp spanking - something Jim knew was in the minds of Tom Watson and his men; Blair had simply put into the boys' heads a possible and very unwelcome future for their family, based on their behavior.

Blair looked at the three boys for a few moments longer, his expression stern. Then he turned to Watson. "I suggest we phone for their father, and tell him the situation. Then it will be up to him what action he takes."

Jim's lips twitched. Harold Spring was in for a big surprise when he met Blair...

***

The only person who was not surprised by Spring's reaction when Blair explained to him exactly what his sons had been doing was Jim. It was obvious that Spring had a high opinion of himself and his beliefs... and he was clearly sincere in his 'smacking a child is assault' attitude; but the shaman's voice pointing out to him that other forms of punishment weren't assault, that he himself obeyed the law but his children clearly thought they could do whatever they wanted, had its affect.

He glared at the boys as Blair finished talking. "Well?" he asked them. "Is Detective Sandburg telling me everything?"

The three glanced at each other, but said nothing.

Blair said quietly, "Detective Ellison could tell you a little more."

Spring glanced at Jim. "Ellison? You're related to... ?"

Jim nodded. "I never wanted to go into business, so I made my own life. But I know a lot about what your sons have been doing from my father. Until we got an official complaint, however, there was nothing we could do. I imagine Mr. Darren will be satisfied with payment for the items they stole from him - today and in the past. Your neighbors, though - they might not be as forgiving. I gather some of the damage they caused was quite extreme. The neighbors have said nothing so far out of respect for what you have done for the community in general, but I know that one or two are beginning to feel that they should approach you."

"And you will tell your father how much you stole," Blair told the boys. "And exactly what damage you caused."

Jim went on. "And if you want some advice about disciplining them without smacking them - ask my father. He never laid a finger on me, or my brother, but we grew up with an absolute knowledge of right and wrong."

"I thought giving them a good example would work," Spring said sadly.

"Children need rules," Blair said, "and the certainty that breaking them will result in punishment. What that punishment is, is your choice. You give them pocket money?"

Spring nodded.

"Dock it until they have paid for at least some of the damage they caused. Deny them access to their favorite TV programs, giving them chores to do instead. There are many forms that punishment can take, to teach them to behave; smacking has been a quick and easy form of punishment throughout much of history - whipping for adults, too - but there are plenty of alternatives. As my partner said - you can ask his father for advice."

Spring nodded. Then he said briskly, "Are they actually under arrest?"

Jim shook his head. "They are old enough to be arrested as juveniles, but if you are willing to take responsibility for them and their actions - "

"Yes," Spring said. "And the first thing we're doing is going to see the storekeeper they stole from."

"I'll take you to him," Watson said, and led Spring out, the three boys scuttling behind, clearly terrified of being left in the same room as the soft-looking but amazingly stern Detective Sandburg.

"I think they learned a lesson today," Hayward said, "but so did their father." And the cops quietly left Tom Watson's office.

 


End file.
